Conventionally, an image forming apparatus is known which is connected to a computer via a network and performs printing based on printing requests processed by the computer.
Management of this type of image forming apparatus is provided by the computer, which serves as an image forming apparatus controller that performs a check, upon the entry by a user of a printing (image forming) request, to determine whether the user is authorized to use the image forming apparatus. In the event the user is so authorized, the computer then transmits the printing request to the image forming apparatus for execution.
Specifically, as disclosed in JP-A-10-161823, user authorization for employing an image forming apparatus is recorded in a database that is stored in a server computer.
Thus, when a client computer transmits a printing request from a user to the server computer, the server computer examines the database to determine whether the user has been authorized to employ the image forming apparatus. Only if the user has been authorized to employ the image forming apparatus, the server computer accepts the request from the client computer and permits the printing.